04x25 - The Cober List

[bunniefuu]

[instrumental music]

Lanner leaves his office every day at 12:35 to go to lunch.

'He never eats in the same place.'

Uh, he gets back to his office at 2:30.

He jogs everyday at the beach at 4:00.

'That's his house. Heh.'

'It cost him 200,000.'

'That's his wife and kids.'

'Now, he goes to church every Sunday at 11:00, on the nose.'

'He's never late for church.'

He comes out of the garage, and he turns right.

Well, that's it.

Now, we can hit him outside his office building at lunch time..

...or down at the beach.

We hit him and we've got nothing but trouble.

Okay.

What do we do?

We let him eat up bits and pieces of our operation

until there's nothing left?

Why are we in the family..

...if we have to do this thing ourselves?

You know, you sound like it's 1925.

Look, we go to the family.

We tell them he's trying to muscle in on us.

And they stop it. That's all.

No muss. No fuss. No bother.

That's the way it's done, Terry.

And what do they say about the Cober boys?

I mean, when there's a chance to move up..

...who do they think of?

The guys that whine and yell for help?

It'll never happen.

You're looking already for a promotion?

Three weeks we've been running this outfit

and you're looking for a promotion.

Three weeks since papa retired.

Well, you got to make a move.

Some move.

Question is which one.

Now, do we, uh, get Lanner ourselves?

Do we go to the family and let them handle it?

Or we figure out something in between?

Uh, that's what we've got to decide.

I say we go to the family.

Not with our first trouble.

We got to prove we've got the right to papa's place.

And we're not gonna prove that by running to the family

'with the first mess we come on.'

Then what are we in the family for?

For money.

For muscle. For organization.

'Not for them to wipe our nose for us if we catch a cold.'

Look if it comes to a hit, then we go to the family.

Anything less, we take care of ourselves.

Now, how does that sound to you? Hmm?

Well, now that all depends..

...on what you plan to do.

Oh, we got to let Lanner know he can't move in on us.

Like for instance, we plant a small b*mb in his garage.

At 11 o'clock on Sunday when he goes to church

ten minutes after he leaves the garage goes up.

Nobody is hurt. He knows where we stand.

And what happens if the b*mb goes off early?

Are you willing to explain to the council

how you k*lled his wife and kids with him.

We explode the b*mb by radio signal.

We plant our man across the street.

'When Lanner is out safe, he hits the button.'

'The b*mb explodes. No risk.'

Yeah.

Okay.

But we have to do it fast.

Next Sunday if we can set it up.

What about, um..

...four minutes from now?

[dramatic music]

Got all the instincts, but none of the speed, kid.

You better hang up your gloves.

You'll never make it in the fight game.

Watch the store.

[music continues]

[theme music]

[Marvin Miller] "The FBI."

A Quinn Martin production.

Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Also starring Philip Abbott..

William Reynolds.

With guest stars Harold J. Stone..

Rudy Solari..

Alfred Ryder..

Fred Beir.

And special guest star, Don Gordon.

Tonight's episode, "The Cober List."

[instrumental music]

[Marvin Miller] In Miami, the bodyguard of La Cosa Nostra leader

Frank Lanner had been critically injured.

For a first-hand report on the brewing inter-g*ng w*r

FBI assistant director Arthur Ward immediately

summoned Miami Agent In Charge Owen Clark

to bureau headquarters in Washington.

Any lab reports come back on the b*mb fragments

we found at the Lanner garage?

It was TNT. Electronically triggered.

What's the situation in Miami now?

Well, Lanner's added a new bodyguard

but other than that it's business as usual.

We talked to Lanner about the expl*si*n

and he claimed it was an accident.

He was storing the expl*sives in his garage to use on a stump?

[chuckles] Close.

He says, he was storing it

for a friend who wanted to remove a stump.

Oh.

By the way, we picked up some information

that Lanner was trying to move in

on the Cobers' numbers operation.

You've been briefed on the latest developments

in the Cober case, haven't you, Lou?

Well, not all of them.

I, uh, I know that the Cobers live in Miami, of course.

Oh, as you may remember, uh..

Inky, Ignatius Cober, was a bootlegger in the '20s.

'He was shot in April of '47, almost died.'

He's paralyzed from the waist down.

He's confined to a wheelchair.

Collects stamps.

He started this numbers operation in the mid-sixties.

Now, the best guess we can make is there are 150 to 200

numbers joints working in Florida and Georgia.

Inky Cober retired about a month ago.

And he turned the operation over to two of his sons.

We started our investigation on a presumption

that a business spread out that far couldn't be run out of hand.

'Now, we haven't been able to get a hold'

'of the books or the records.'

But there is a list of the joints that numbers drops.

We know there's only one copy.

It was in Inky's possession until he retired.

But we don't know where it is now.

That's what we're after.

The list.

Well, if anything can open a crack in the Cober operation

this incident can.

Father's retired, huh?

Yes, but that doesn't mean he's out of the picture.

He moved to Puerto Rico about a month ago.

We've had him under constant surveillance ever since.

Stupid!

You're stupid!

- Come on, papa. - Don't papa me!

Look, what else could we do?

He needed told so we told..

You blew up a garage!

You told him nothing

but you know how to wreck a piece of real estate.

Yeah. But he knows we can hit him now anytime we want to.

He knows nothing!

Is this what I left?

An operation I spent 20 years building up

and figuring out.

Pick up the stamps, dummy.

Come on, pop.

You don't teach lessons.

The family teaches lessons.

'Leave the lessons to them. No exceptions.'

You got a little beef with Lanner?

You tell it to the family.

They talk to him. They straighten him out.

Or maybe they straighten you up.

Some of the brothers take the big beefs to the family.

Take it to the family or not..

...in a big beef you don't sing songs or do dances.

You hit your man and you bury him.

You take it to the family, or you put him away.

There's nothing in between.

You understand that?

Yeah, I understand.

Then why didn't you understand it yesterday?

I'm sorry.

[dramatic music]

James Cober?

Yeah.

How's your wife and the kiddies?

Oh, they're fine. Everybody's fine, pop.

How's Jamie's kiddies and Liz Ann?

They're fine too. They're terrific.

[chuckles]

You know, I've only been living here in Puerto Rico

three weeks and..

I'm eating my heart out already.

I miss them little monkeys.

Little monkeys.

[telephone ringing]

Answer it.

Cober residence. This is Terry.

What?

It's Jamie's wife.

When?

[dramatic music]

Jamie's been hit. He's in the hospital.

Give me the phone.

Hello, Liz Ann, this is papa.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Terry told me.

What shape is Jamie in?

Will you call Matthew in Pittsburgh?

You tell him to get down and take care of his brother.

You said, I said, you hear?

'Don't worry yourself.'

'I'll you back in about an hour.'

That punk Lanner hit my son.

He tried to k*ll my baby.

That punk.

Terry, get us on the next plane to Miami.

Where?

What name is that?

Alright. Let me know the minute you've got anything definite.

Well, it started. That was Miami.

James Cober has been shot.

He's in St. Thomas Hospital on the critical list.

What about his brothers?

Terry is in San Juan with his father.

Matthew's a doctor in Pittsburgh.

We've got the g*n.

I asked Clark to have it flown in here as soon as possible

so the identification division can get started on it.

The hit man dropped the g*n on the flight.

Two o'clock he would be on the 3:30 flight to Miami.

I'll get the car.

Is Lanner still there?

He's still there.

And he's in trouble.

Emmett Stone flew in from New York ten minutes ago.

Rash action is what separates winners from losers, Frank.

It wasn't rash, Mr. Stone.

Oh, that depends on your perspective.

It's a question of where one is standing.

If I make myself clear.

A Cober has made a move on me, on my wife, on my family.

You know that's not true as well as I do.

Don't try to deceive me, Frank

it's bad form and unintelligent.

The Cobers intended to warn you.

And my friend will be crippled for the rest of his life.

That's an excuse for your counter action

but not a reason for it.

If you had a difference with the Cobers

why didn't you bring it to the family?

Alright.

Five cards straight up.

I want the numbers operation.

Yes, and Inky's seat with a commission.

And his seat.

We all understand ambition, Frank.

But some things are more important than a personal goal.

You must look at the entire picture.

A w*r in any family is potentially

more than a disruptive influence.

Eh, pressures could develop.

Uh, shootings could cause light to shine on things

better left in the dark.

There'll be no further independent actions

on your part, Frank.

Do I make myself clear?

I don't intend to.

He hit first.

All I did was counter.

Oh.

A little more than counter.

There's a difference between a friend and a son.

A major difference.

And even more, your friend was not a member of the family.

The Cobers are.

I can't argue that.

Well..

Entire matter is now in the hands of the family.

The Cober operation is far too important

to allow it to be damaged.

I still want it.

You may want it too much.

That's what separates ambition from greed.

The greed.

And there's no room in the family for a greedy man, Frank.

No room at all.

[instrumental music]

[instrumental music]

Excuse me. Are you Ms. Cober?

Yes?

I'm Inspector Erskine with the FBI.

I don't know who shot him.

He didn't tell me anything.

I, uh..

I don't know anything about his business activities.

Matthew?

Doctor, my name is Erskine, FBI.

My brother died without regaining consciousness.

He made no statement.

Wrote nothing down.

He was unable to speak since he was shot.

As a result he communicated with no one.

I don't want to bother you at a time like this

but I would like to talk to you at your convenience.

If you'd be so good as to call me at this number.

Now is a good a time as any.

I won't have any more to say to you tomorrow

than I do right now.

I suppose you want me to tell you what I know about

my brother's criminal activities.

But the truth is that I don't know any more about his work

his field than he knows about mine in medicine.

Than he knew about mine.

Past tense now, isn't it?

Are you aware that his k*lling was part of a g*ng w*r?

That your own life may be in jeopardy.

I'm aware that no man is immune to death.

And that anyone can be k*lled if the k*ller applies himself.

I'm afraid you're wasting your very valuable time, inspector.

My name is Cober.

I am my father's son.

I don't share his tastes

interest, instincts, or occupation.

But I am his son.

If I did have any information in my possession..

...it would have to remain there.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Bureau just called.

Ident matched the prints on the g*n that shot Cober.

The arrest record of a name Mark Dennis.

New York police want him for m*rder.

They asked us to pick him up.

They also, uh, gave us a tip on a Miami address

that may pay off. Clark's checking it out now.

[dramatic music]

Subject's registered here.

He took a room under the name of Mark Thomas an alias.

His room's on the second floor in the back.

Number 228.

Let's pick him up.

[instrumental music]

Mark Dennis, FBI!

[g*nshots]

[music continues]

Call an ambulance.

And, Owen, I want to be notified as soon as he can talk.

Alright.

What about surveillance units?

Everyone's covered.

Matthew Cober, James Cober's widow.

Another team's at Terry Cober's house.

They've been with Inky and Terry ever since they landed

at the airport here in Miami.

He's got driver's licenses.

Credit cards using five different names.

And four addresses here.

Two in Miami, one is St. Petersburg.

One at Tampa.

See what you can find out.

[instrumental music]

Hey, you!

What are you doing here

with your brother in the hospital dying?

Jamie's dead.

You let Jamie die on you?

Come on, he knocked it all he could for him, you know that.

I know that!

But no doctor's worth a nickel

whether he's my son or somebody else's.

Butchers and bricklayers in a white suit.

What did you do?

Open him up and fish around a little to see

if there was something inside of him?

Come on, pop.

No, no. no. It's alright.

If the big man wants to rip me, he'll rip me.

No matter anyone says or does.

Nobody makes any sense to Inky Cober but Inky Cober.

He knows all there is to know.

I know this, Mr. Joe College Doctor..

I know, I had two sons to walk by my side, and you..

I don't know how I had anyone like you.

Is this w*r of yours about over?

I don't know.

'Yes, you do know, and it's not over.'

I got a dead son to put in the ground

and you got a dead brother.

How can it be over?

I don't like any long wakes.

You get in touch with the undertaker

and tell him we're having a funeral tomorrow morning.

Bronze casket, 50 dozen roses

and a choir in a church.

Terry, you call Emmett Stone

'and tell him when the funeral is.'

'He'll pass the word.'

What hotel for the breakfast after?

No hotel. What's the name of that restaurant that, uh..

...Jamie was so crazy about?

You know the one, Marietta.

- Oh, the Captain's Inn. - Uh, that one.

Oh, uh, Matt.

You call the undertaker from the den.

I want to, I want to talk to Terry in private.

[dramatic music]

I almost forgot.

- Who had the list? - What list?

The list of our outlets

with the drops of the business, that list.

It's right where you put 'em, papa.

Alright, now here we are having a w*r

and we almost forgot for what.

As long as we got the list

we got no real problem from Lanner or the law.

The family will look after the Cobers.

Now, uh, call Emmett Stone.

Okay.

[music continues]

And so far we've got Emmett Stone, Hugh Mellan

Jeff Wachfen, Christa Bear and their bodyguards

in for the funeral.

Set up a surveillance plan for tomorrow.

Any meeting between Stone and Cober

will probably take place after the funeral.

The agent at the hospital with Dennis just called.

Dennis died without regaining consciousness.

Hmm.

What about the addresses?

Well, the first one is where he shot Jamie Cober.

The other in Miami is a cigar store.

St. Petersburg address, a magazine stand

and one in Tampas is a dry cleaner.

It had to be places where Jamie Cober could be found.

Numbers outlets, we haven't uncovered.

I'll add 'em to the file as possibles.

No, let-let's use them now

before things quiet down completely.

As a matter of fact that's probably what

Stone is here to do.

So what would happen if we

raided a half dozen of their best covered outlets.

Inky'd wonder how we found out about them.

And suppose we let the word out that

we picked up the locations on a tip?

Yeah, it could force a meeting with a council

if they thought Lanner was behind it.

Get Mr. Ward at the bureau, will you, Owen?

[dramatic music]

[man on radio] 'And in a late breaking story from our in-studio newswires'

'simultaneous raids were staged tonight'

'by FBI agents throughout Florida.'

'The six raids were part of a crackdown'

'on what is reportedly a widespread'

'La Cosa Nostra numbers operation.'

'FBI spokesmen were mum about'

'details of the investigation.'

'But said those under arrest..'

Terry!

Terry, get in here.

What's the matter, you alright?

Did you hear the news just now?

- What news? - What news? Raids.

Half a dozen of our spots were busted by the FBI tonight.

Six. Six of our safest. What does that say to you?

Lanner passed the word about the ones he knew.

Yeah. Lanner.

Lanner.

That aught to shut off his water

like we could never have hoped for.

If the family was gonna listen to him at all

that shut him off, but in spades.

You want to order a hit, papa?

No. No contact yet, Terry.

After the funeral.

We get him with Stone's okay.

'Why jump the g*n'

if we can hit him with the family's blessings, hmm?

[chuckles]

You know, the way things looked

if I asked, they'd bring him here and let me k*ll him myself.

[intense music]

[laughs]

[theme music]

This is a day full of sadness for all of us, Inky.

Liz Ann. All my sympathy, Matt.

Well, that's very kind of you, Uncle Emmett.

You look good.

Being a doctor agrees with you.

It's a happy life you have, right?

Not this morning.

No.

This morning the clouds should cover the sun for everybody.

This is a great sadness.

But bright day or dark, the living have to live.

Life spills out of our hands too fast to wait for anything.

You go on, I, I want to talk to

Terry and your papa for a minute.

[music continues]

I guess Stone is gonna have his talk with Inky now.

Ahh!

I remember the day the dead boy was born, I..

I'd thought about it the whole time

we were standing at the cemetery.

This thing should not have happened. The whole mess.

But it did.

You hear? Six of my spots were busted by the FBI.

How did the FBI dig them up, Inky?

Lanner. You don't need me to tell you it was Lanner.

He had my son hit, and my business hit.

He's trying to grab.

How do you know it was Lanner?

Who else could it be? It's him.

[chuckles] Well, it could be you or Terry, Inky.

Chop off six of my own outlets?

Well, how could you make sure that the council

would allow you to hit Lanner?

You know the brothers don't want the old days.

Shootings, bombings, nobody safe.

I sat on the council for 20 years.

That punk had my son k*lled.

- I got the right to-- - No.

No right.

You have a reason, the council has to give you the right.

Are you telling me the council says

I can't get Lanner for what he did to my Jamie?

The council says that you wait until we find out

who said what to the FBI, that takes it out of your hands.

Oh! That opens up the other thing.

You, Inky. You forget you're retired.

Now what does that mean?

It means that you're the wrong man

to speak for the Cober operation.

You turned it over to Terrence, the other boy, rest his soul.

Terry is left, he speaks.

Terry. Not you.

- That's garbage. - 'No. That's life.'

The old give way to the young.

You go back to Puerto Rico

and leave this to Terry and the family.

I'm not going back until this is cleaned up.

You are going back this afternoon.

Three tickets, one-way.

If you think I'm going to--

The family cannot be sure that

Lanner won't make a move against you

so we have assigned two of our best men to look after you.

The three tickets, you and them, this afternoon.

You putting me in a box?

To keep you safe, Inky.

Uh, well, let, let me know if there's any change.

Stone has had Lanner's bodyguards replaced.

He just did the same to Inky Cober.

Any familiar faces?

Well, one of Inky's new bodyguard is Sammy Pick.

Ben Pavoni's boy.

Our information is that Pavoni brought Lanner into the family.

Looks as if they mean business here, doesn't it?

One more thing.

Inky's been booked on the two o'clock plane

back to Puerto Rico.

Stone made the reservation.

Stone?

Is Terry scheduled to go with him?

No.

Well, I think this is the time for another talk with Dr. Cober.

Where is he now?

Well, Matt took Jamie Cober's widow to the hospital.

She passed out in the restaurant after the breakfast.

Well, the key man right now is Stone.

If he leaves Miami, I want an agent right behind him.

[music continues]

You two have to be standing over me all day and all night?

Sammy, get out of here and guard me from the outside.

Okay, Mr. Cober.

What do you figure Stone is trying?

He's not tryin', he's doin' it.

The council's gonna meet and decide who tipped the FBI.

Then they're gonna decide if Lanner got out of line enough

to buy himself a hole in the ground.

Then they're gonna decide who gets the numbers operation.

Without the list, they can't do a thing.

Get it.

You're gonna take it back with you?

'The list blows over.'

In the meantime our spots can hold our cut.

Nobody will be holding much.

This shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to blow over.

- Get the list. - Okay.

[music continues]

- Mrs. Cober. Doctor. - Inspector.

Why can't you leave us alone?

My husband is dead now.

Why can't you just stop?

Liz Ann, easy. I'm sorry, she's upset.

I understand.

Doctor, I came here to ask you to help us.

I thought I made my position clear to you.

You did, but the situation has changed since then.

Has it? I don't see that it has.

Are you aware that your father's bodyguards have been replaced

by La Cosa Nostra?

No, no, I wasn't.

But I don't see what difference it makes.

Matt, will you take me back to the hotel?

Of course. Excuse us.

They're returning him to Puerto Rico this afternoon.

I'm sure you understand the implications.

Assuming all you say is true, Mr. Erskine

just what do you suggest I do about it?

I want a chance to talk to your father.

I want you to help me get past the bodyguards.

Matt..

I'm sorry.

Don't tell me I got trouble.

I know when I got trouble and I know how to handle it.

So why don't you go back to Pittsburgh

and tie a bandage on somebody or something?

- You finished? - I don't need advice from you.

So save it for the suckers that come to you

with headaches or sore feet.

Look, I know you.

By now you know who k*lled Jamie

and you're gonna try to k*ll him--

Don't you talk to me about k*lling, butcher.

You got a license for it.

That's the only difference between you and anybody else.

They're sending you back to Puerto Rico against your will.

And before you go, you're going to try to

get to the man that k*lled Jamie.

Now if you do that, the council--

What do you know about a council? What council?

I'm your son, I grew up in your house.

Do you think I'm blind or stupid?

That I didn't know who all those uncles were you brought home?

I knew then and I know now.

You make one move the council didn't approve

and the next funeral I go to will be yours.

All I'm asking is that you do what they tell you.

What I do is my business.

How and when I do it is my business. You hear that?

Papa..

...I don't want you dead.

Then stay away from me if I get sick.

[dramatic music]

It's time for you to get started to the airport, are you ready?

Yeah.

You got everything straight, right, Ter?

It's as good as done, papa.

Oh..

You find a girl to get married yet, Matthew?

No. Not yet.

Well, find a girl and get married and have babies.

I already got two stamp collections started.

It's for your kids, and you're not even married yet.

I don't wanna get stuck with two stamp collections.

[music continues]

Terry.

Aren't you going to the airport with him?

I'll be out there to say goodbye

but I got something to see to first.

Oh, it's business.

Take care of yourself, Matty.

[music continues]

[dramatic music]

MM-45.

They brought a car around about two minutes ago.

Inky left with the bodyguards.

'Then Terry drove off in his own car.'

- Is he alone? - 'Alone.'

Stay with him, I'll keep this line open.

Lou, he just went into a payphone booth.

Location?

'On Fuller between 7th and 8th.'

Right.

Trace a call in progress from a public booth

on Fuller between 7th and 8th.

'Picardy Hotel, one moment please.'

Come on, come on, lady.

Yes, thanks.

Traced the call to the Picardy hotel.

An informer reported that a hit man from Milwaukee

checked in to the Picardy this morning.

A man by the name of Gil Casey.

[dramatic music]

[telephone ringing]

- Hello? - Who've I got?

- Gil Casey. - Now, Gil.

You got it pretty close, man.

[music continues]

[g*nsh*t]

[theme music]

[siren wailing]

[knock at door]

- Yeah? - 'Open the door. FBI.'

Hold it. Right there.

What section are they sitting in?

Hold on a minute.

Lanner's just been shot.

Our agents have picked up Gil Casey.

They found what they think is the m*rder weapon

along with a return ticket to Milwaukee.

Oh, thanks very much, I'll talk to you later.

Terry Cober has boarded the plane with his father.

Well, that explains why.

[intercom buzzing]

Yes?

Matthew Cober is outside.

Uh, ask him to wait a minute.

Tell him to wait, please.

Get in touch with Irving Grindler, will you, Owen?

Tell him I'll be by in an hour or so.

Okay.

Well, the family wouldn't let Inky talk to us

even if he wanted to.

I'll need a cover to get by the bodyguards

and Grindler can help us there.

That's taking quite a risk, isn't it?

If Inky knows Grindler well enough to trust him

how can you trust Grindler?

He doesn't know him, except I'm sure by reputation.

Will you come in, please, doctor?

- Owen Clark. - How do you do?

You know Inspector Erskine.

- Mr. Erskine. - Cober.

Please sit down.

Thank you.

I know how difficult it must have been for you to come here.

Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Erskine.

I won't help you gather evidence against my father or my brother.

I'm not asking you to.

But there is something you want me to do.

You made that very clear.

Dr. Cober..

We've spent years trying to break up

your father's operation.

Now, we'll do it sooner or later.

But it would be a lot easier on everyone

if he'd cooperate with us.

[chuckles]

My father cooperating with the FBI.

It'll never happen.

There's one set of circumstances in which it might.

Not even on his deathbed.

I'm asking you to help me give him the option.

Mr. Erskine..

My father is a man who has spent his entire adult life

doing exactly what he wants in his own way.

His own way.

No options.

But not under a death sentence from La Cosa Nostra

and he will be, just as soon as the word about Lanner gets out.

- Lanner? - He's been k*lled.

They k*lled Lanner?

Oh, the family has no choice now, you know that.

In fact the executioners are with him already.

He's cut off.

But with your help, I think I can get to him.

Since when does the FBI protect a man like Inky Cober?

It isn't a question of protection.

Look, we want to tell him what's happening

and let him draw his own conclusions.

He'll go to prison if he cooperates with us

but he'll be alive.

No, he-he'd never cooperate.

Dr. Cober, I've spent four years studying your father.

He's a great many things, but he's not a fool.

Now, in the next few hours, the moment will come

when he'll want that option

and I wanna be there when that happens.

There's not much time, doctor.

Alright.

Finally it's over.

What do I do?

[Grindler] 'There are over ten million stamp collectors, Mr. Erskine.'

Sure would've been much simpler if you'd been one of them.

However if you're going to pass as an expert working for me

you'll need certain equipment.

A catalog, of course.

And a black light used to detect alterations in a stamp

which would increase its value.

What kind of alterations?

Well, for instance, on the classics, uh..

they sometimes add paper to give the stamp a wider margin.

'Yes, that's right, that's very good.'

Go ahead, what else?

My father thought me quite a bit about it when I was a boy.

They, uh, remove cancellations, uh, put new gum on the back.

Always say gum, by the way, not glue.

Uh-huh.

Now, Mr. Grindler, what, uh..

what constitutes a classic stamp?

Well, the first stamp ever printed

was the Penny Black of Great Britain, 1840.

The first US stamp printed was in 1847.

Classic state between them and 1895.

That's when perforated adhesive started, in '95.

This is a, uh, perforation gauge.

Perforations vary from issue to issue with some stamps.

It's all in the catalog.

And, oh, by the way, no expert can keep it all in his head.

We all use the catalog all the time.

Well, now, Mr. Grindler, to attract this

particular collector, I'm gonna need a very unusual stamp.

What can you suggest?

- Large collection. - Extremely.

Limited to which areas?

- None really, it's general. - Really?

That's the toughest possible collection.

The King of England had one.

Well, suppose we offer him the Hawaii missionary.

He has it.

Confederate states of America?

- Issue 1861? - He has that too. Complete.

It's gonna be a little more difficult than I thought.

What about the one cent British Guiana?

It's number 13 on the catalog.

It's the only one known to exist.

Yes, but if it's that rare, won't it seem odd my having it?

It might, but you could say

you're a representative of the owner.

Besides with a collector like this

he'd see the devil himself if he thought

there were a chance in the world of getting this stamp.

Last quote on it was 300,000.

There's no value quotation now.

You could probably get a million or more for it, if you had it.

What do you think?

Well, I can call him.

If I set it up right, I think he'll go for it.

Alright then, that's what we will do.

Thanks very much, Mr. Grindler.

Oh, don't forget your catalog, Mr. Erskine.

- Oh, yeah. Thank you. - Thank you.

You're welcome.

[music continues]

[tires screeching]

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

- Yeah? - Mr. Cober?

Who wants to see him?

My name's Boardman.

I represent Irving Grindler and Company.

I called from the airport.

- Come in, Mr. Boardman. - Mr. Cober, I don't think--

Shut up, dummy, my boy vouched for him.

Boardman.

[dramatic music]

So I said to myself, "Why go half way?

"If the King of England can do it so can Inky Cober.

Why go half way?" You know what I mean?

Well, you have some remarkable stamps here, Mr. Cober.

I'm impressed.

And I was also impressed

when you mentioned the British Guiana.

Or was that a way to get in here?

[telephone ringing]

Cober residence.

Yeah, this is Sam.

Who is it?

Yeah, hang on a minute.

It's for me, Mr. Cober, private.

I'll take it in here out of your way.

What're you doin'? Who is it?

Terry.

[music continues]

Well, I wish we had more time, but I think we've just run out.

What is that supposed to mean?

Stone called for a meeting

as soon as he heard Frank Lanner was dead.

Our latest information is that at least

four members of the high commission

were voting to have you k*lled.

What do you know about Frank Lanner?

- Who are you? - FBI.

You were right about the stamp, there is none.

I came here to give you a chance to bail out.

- Matt said-- - Matt was trying to help you.

Papa..

Shut your mouth.

Bail out, how?

By nailing them before they get you.

By telling a grand jury about you organization.

Man, what kind of a fool do you take me for?

You moved when the family told you to stand still.

You know what that means.

It makes no difference to the family or the government.

The government can't nail me if they haven't got the list.

And the family can't move if they

don't put the question to me.

I got the treatment and my council member coming to me.

Don't you remember what Uncle Emmett said?

You're retired. You're out.

You know, they'd probably figure him for the list.

That makes you expendable.

Let's go with him.

Give the G-man the list?

It's something to think about.

Jail is better than a casket.

Who told you?

You've never been inside either one.

[door opens]

[music continues]

You don't walk into no room in my house

without knockin', you hear?

Sorry, about this, Mr. Boardman, too bad you drop by.

Mr. Cober, there was a meeting.

And a vote.

- You and your boy-- - Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Not me.

I didn't want to hit Lanner

until the council said to, not me.

You lousy, yellow punk.

I'm your father. Blood.

You fink on me?

You're trying to save your own skin and feed me to them?

[music continues]

What about the business?

I mean, without the list, there's no business.

'I know where the list is, you'll never find it.'

Now you go in there, and you call him.

Go on, they'll tell you, they'll tell..

[g*nsh*t]

Hold it.

[music continues]

Hands behind your head.

On your feet.

Turn around.

Hey, you. The one who shot my son.

I want to thank you.

He deserved it.

My offer still goes, Cober.

[chuckles] Why should I cop out now?

I got elbow room. I'm out of the box.

There it goes.

No more box.

You think there aren't anymore where those two came from?

You're still on the hook.

Only now you can't buy anyone to help you.

You're alone, Cober, and you know it.

Yeah. I know it.

Alright.

Here's the list.

But you owe me one favor, right?

- I cooperated. - It depends what it is.

If that dies, bury it face down.

[theme music]

Fine.

Fine, thank you very much.

Well, that's the last of them.

Two hundred outlets.

- Congratulations, Lewis. - Thanks.

We were lucky.

Well, what're you going to do with your free evenings

now that this case is wrapped up?

You know Inky Cober asked me the same thing.

He suggested I take up stamp collecting.

As a matter of fact, he offered me one to start off with, uh..

A 1918 airmail with an inverted center

valued at $16,000.

There's one trouble, it's a fake.

[Marvin Miller] Terrence Cober survived his wounds

and was convicted of interstate gambling activities

and with Gilbert Casey was found guilty

of the m*rder of Frank Lanner.

Ignatious Cober died of natural causes

before he could be brought to trial.

Sam Pick and his confederate were convicted in local court

of as*ault with a deadly weapon.

[instrumental music]

[theme music]

[music continues]